The music

Recordings made at the dress rehearsal in March.

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Weightless

Once, in my arms,
I carried you and you were weightless
Once, in my sleep,
I looked at you and you were weightless
So often, in my love, I’ve listened to you and you have been weightless
So it is now,
as I turn you to the wind,
as I turn you, turn you, turn you to the wind
you are...
a boy in the river a boy on the sand beneath the sun
you are...
a girl
in Kandahar shouldering a sheep
I’m sorry
I failed you both – I am no man
Always, in my blood
and bones, I carry you both for life, for life

Once, in my arms,
I carried you and you were weightless
Once, in my sleep,
I looked at you and you were weightless
So often, in my love, I’ve listened to you and you have been weightless
So it is now,
as I turn you to the wind,
as I turn you, turn you, turn you to the wind
you are...
a boy in the river a boy on the sand beneath the sun
you are...
a girl
in Kandahar shouldering a sheep
I’m sorry
I failed you both – I am no man
Always, in my blood
and bones, I carry you both for life, for life

The Call (excerpt)

"the strangers we are
the secrets we have
the tales for telling
but still we will
Call him home
we’re calling him home –
we need our son,
our soldier"

my bullet
that tore open
a girl’s
throat
the other
my brother
who felt too alone
to live
Black shadows
I’d run with you...

Rain on the Iron (except)

Father, I know this to be true:
my life is violence
and the dearest,
the most innocent,
are gone
a demon
is stealing
my reasons
for fighting
my reasons
for being
I don’t want
to be broken
Son,
my son,
as the rain comes down on the iron

Father, I know this to be true:
my life is violence
and the dearest,
the most innocent,
are gone
a demon
is stealing
my reasons
for fighting
my reasons
for being
I don’t want
to be broken
Son,
my son,
as the rain comes down on the iron

Once, in my arms,
I carried you and you were weightless
Once, in my sleep,
I looked at you and you were weightless
So often, in my love, I’ve listened to you and you have been weightless
So it is now,
as I turn you to the wind,
as I turn you, turn you, turn you to the wind
you are…
a boy in the river a boy on the sand beneath the sun
you are…
a girl
in Kandahar shouldering a sheep
I’m sorry
I failed you both – I am no man
Always, in my blood
and bones, I carry you both for life, for life

“the strangers we are
the secrets we have
the tales for telling

but still we will

Call him home
we’re calling him home –
we need our son,
our soldier”

but the only sound
that came to me
was the falling call

of a crow

calling and falling again
falling and calling
calling and falling again

What can she see: an act, a need?
I give her a grin, I do, she’s safe with me:
I am, I know (I believe), a man of valour
But still she stares deathly to the back of my head,
the wretched black

We’ve lost him,
he’s gone
he went in winter

She doesn’t say who,
but I know, I know

Above: a crow,
if I could …

We fired again
the enemy went down
but so did she, the girl, the girl
with her sheep